Mike Honda: “I want to thank you, my friend, for this opportunity and this dialogue. It is a shame that we don't have the same…”

“I want to thank you, my friend, for this opportunity and this dialogue. It is a shame that we don't have the same dialogue across the aisle, but our rules prohibit us from being able to create that dialogue and debate in front of this country. As a result, we have this moment in time where we are able to share as members of the California delegation, but also as members of this Democratic Caucus. We are here today, on day 10, of the Republican government shutdown that has cost over $3 billion in lost economic activity so far. And because of the compounding nature of the economic effects, it is estimated that over a month's time, the economy will be drained of $50 billion. Almost 1 million people should be working today, and they are not. When our government is forced to shut down, it hurts our economy, closes essential services for low-income families, and disrupts the lives of real people in all of our districts, regardless of where we represent. Important government services that benefit all of us are suspended. In my district, I have heard from young people that were furloughed, the young employees of the NASA Ames facility. They are wondering how they are going to be able to make rent to stay in their homes or to make ends meet. The investigators that were working on finding the underlying causes of the Asiana crash and coming up with ways to make air travel safer, we sent home.…”